OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--
Union Pacific Railroad was proud to host U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on Wednesday at its state-of-the-art Training Center and Harriman Dispatching Center, where she saw firsthand the innovative and world-class training that goes into developing the railroad’s highly skilled workforce, expected to grow with the creation of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.
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The tour was part of Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s 50-state ‘America at Work’ listening tour that began last April to promote economic development and job creation. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have proposed a landmark merger to create the nation’s first coast-to-coast railroad, which they estimate will lead to the creation of approximately 900 net new union jobs to meet anticipated growth in rail demand.
“It is an honor to be a part of Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s impressive nationwide tour and to talk about growing and developing America’s workforce,” said Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena. “It also gave me a chance to showcase the men and women who are the backbone of America’s supply chain and the extensive safety and operating training they undergo to work on a modern, high-tech railroad.”
Chavez-DeRemer toured both Union Pacific’s Training Center and the Harriman Dispatching Center, which serves as the railroad’s central nervous system, dispatching trains and crews 24/7 across Union Pacific’s 23-state network.
“Union Pacific is helping power our economy by investing in the skilled workforce that keeps our supply chains moving, and I enjoyed seeing that commitment up close as part of my 50-state America at Work listening tour,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “I appreciate their efforts to strengthen our skilled workforce and keep America competitive for decades to come.”
The day ended with Vena giving Chavez-DeRemer a chance to see Union Pacific’s newest commemorative locomotive: No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln. This special locomotive honors Union Pacific’s founder and will be on tour this year to celebrate America’s 250 th anniversary.
ABOUT UNION PACIFIC
Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) delivers the goods families and businesses use every day with safe, reliable and efficient service. Operating in 23 western states, the company connects its customers and communities to the global economy. Trains are the most environmentally responsible way to move freight, helping Union Pacific protect future generations. More information about Union Pacific is available at www.up.com.
U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer experiences a train simulator at Union Pacific’s Training Center in Omaha, Nebraska, with help from Union Pacific locomotive engineer Colten Norburg of San Antonio, Texas.
U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena stand next to the secured Union Pacific’s newest commemorative locomotive: No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday asked lawmakers to approve reforms to the oil industry that would open the doors to greater foreign investment during her first state of the union speech less than two weeks after its longtime leader was toppled by the United States.
Rodríguez, who has been under pressure by the Trump administration to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation, said sales of Venezuelan oil would go to bolster crisis-stricken health services, economic development and other infrastructure projects.
She outlined a distinct vision for the future, straying from her predecessors, who have long railed against American intervention in Venezeula. “Let us not be afraid of diplomacy” with the U.S., said Rodriguez, the former vice president who must now navigate competing pressures from the Trump administration and a government loyal to former President Nicolás Maduro.
The speech, which was broadcast on a delay in Venezuela, came one day after Rodríguez said her government would continue releasing prisoners detained under Maduro in what she described as “a new political moment” since his ouster.
On Thursday, Trump met at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose political party is widely considered to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro. But in endorsing Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, Trump has sidelined Machado.
Rodríguez, who had a call with Trump earlier this week, said Wednesday evening on state television that her government would use “every dollar” earned from oil sales to overhaul the nation’s public health care system. Hospitals and other health care facilities across the country have long been crumbling, and patients are asked to provide practically all supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.
The acting president must walk a tightrope, balancing pressures from both Washington and top Venezuelan officials who hold sway over Venezuela's security forces and strongly oppose the U.S. Her recent public speeches reflect those tensions — vacillating from conciliatory calls for cooperation with the U.S., to defiant rants echoing the anti-imperialist rhetoric of her toppled predecessor.
American authorities have long railed against a government they describe as a “dictatorship,” while Venezuela’s government has built a powerful populist ethos sharply opposed to U.S. meddling in its affairs.
For the foreseeable future, Rodríguez's government has been effectively relieved of having to hold elections. That's because when Venezuela’s high court granted Rodríguez presidential powers on an acting basis, it cited a provision of the constitution that allows the vice president to take over for a renewable period of 90 days.
Trump enlisted Rodríguez to help secure U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil sales despite sanctioning her for human rights violations during his first term. To ensure she does his bidding, Trump threatened Rodríguez earlier this month with a “situation probably worse than Maduro.”
Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn jail, has pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges.
Before Rodríguez’s speech on Thursday, a group of government supporters was allowed into the presidential palace, where they chanted for Maduro, who the government insists remains the country’s president. “Maduro, resist, the people are rising,” they shouted.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez makes a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, smiles flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez after making a statement to the press at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
